King Of Souls (Book 2)

by Matthew Ballard

  Ronan leaned over Thoth’s side and held the saddle’s jeweled pommel tight. Every muscle, from his shoulders to his fingertips, throbbed. He waved to the crowd doing his best to uphold an aura of confidence.

  As Thoth glided above Freehold’s city wall, the crowd’s excitement shifted to the guards lining the walls. They pulled off their helmets and hats waving to the king as he passed overhead. Archers pumped wooden longbows high. Wild cheers erupted among the guardsmen holding open the city gates.

  Ronan reached for his enhancement magic hoping to chase away the dull aches and pains. But, he found only a faint trickle of his precious magic available. “You couldn’t leave me any?”

  “I’m sorry to leave you in such an exhausted state, but under the circumstances, it seemed necessary,” Thoth said.

  “No. It’s okay. I’m just glad you didn’t kill me in the process.”

  In Freehold’s center, the palace stood high above miles of city sprawl. Lining the royal guard towers, the Meranthian banners waved in rigid protest of gray clouds coming in from the north.

  Ronan pointed toward the royal palace. “Take us to the palace Thoth. We need to ready the palace’s defense.”

  Thoth climbed higher above Freehold’s skyline passing over homes, shops, and the bustling streets.

  If Ronan hoped to match Trace on the battlefield, he needed rest. He couldn’t rest until he felt comfortable with Freehold’s defense.

  As Thoth approached the palace ramparts, a bare handful of archers lined the fortifications. The palace grounds echoed the same empty feeling showing few soldiers standing guard.

  Near the palace, the citadel’s doors stood closed. Its snow-covered training grounds appeared barren of life.

  Thoth flew unimpeded over the palace walls. He glided past a half-dozen archers waving longbows toward their king. The archers looked just old enough to shave let alone serve as royal guardsmen.

  Ronan’s grip tightened on the saddle’s jeweled pommel. He hoped Sir Alcott might provide an explanation for Freehold’s startling lack of defense. He pointed toward the palace’s central courtyard. “Set down there Thoth.”

  Thoth’s gaze settled on the palace’s formal gardens asleep under a thin blanket of fresh winter snow. He pitched downward rolling in a slow arc that took him a dozen feet from the southeastern guard tower. Heavy ballista arranged on the tower’s second and third floors stood unmanned. Two archers roamed the top floor near an abandoned catapult.

  “Where is everyone?” Rika said echoing Ronan’s thoughts.

  Ronan shook his head. “If Devery’s found Tara, he’s taken our army and the city reserves with him.”

  Hovering over the courtyard’s ice covered cobblestones, Thoth extended his hind legs. His wings beat faster slowing his rate of descent. Clouds of snow billowed inside the courtyard’s enclosed space. A thin frozen mist hovered above Jeremy, Danielle, Rika, and Ronan's spirit shields.

  Curls of steam and beading water sizzled atop the spirit shields glowing surface. Through the rising steam and blowing snow, a tall round middle-aged man emerged from an open doorway.

  Sir Alcott Agers paused beneath the courtyard’s oaken door frame. His wide-eyed gaze wandered along Thoth’s ebony plated torso.

  A mixture of steam and smoke curled from Thoth’s flared nostrils. He turned his piercing blue eyes on Sir Alcott whose bottom jaw hung open.

  Sir Alcott mumbled something under his breath as he took in the dragon’s full scope. He’d not yet noticed the familiar passengers riding atop the dragon’s saddle.

  Despite the exhaustion and dread brewing like a deadly toxin in Ronan’s stomach, a faint sense of ease filled him. The old scholar reminded him of home. A smile crept over his face as he slipped from the crystal saddle. Ronan extended his hand for Rika as she slipped from the saddle and stretched her arms and legs.

  Through the open doorway, the rich aroma of Mistress Pell’s homemade bread drifted. It mingled with the faint scent of Sir Alcott’s pipe tobacco. White smoke curled from Sir Alcott’s handcrafted pipe Rika had whittled from a single piece of maple. The spell clutching the old scholar’s attention finally snapped. His gaze shifted to Ronan and Rika standing beside Thoth.

  Ronan’s smile stretched out to a full grin. He couldn’t help finding Sir Alcott’s reaction to Thoth a little amusing. He tried but couldn’t recall the last time he’d seen his teacher speechless.

  A wry grin cut a swath through Sir Alcott’s long gray beard. He stepped into the icy courtyard clenching his pipe stem between his teeth. He stopped before Ronan and looked him up and down. “You look ready to fall asleep standing.”

  Ronan yawned and covered his mouth. “It’s been a long couple of weeks.”

  Sir Alcott nodded toward Thoth who sat on his haunches as if sizing up Sir Alcott for an early dinner. “I’ve heard reports from the Heartwood about dragons, but…” He shook his head, and a fresh puff of smoke billowed from his lips. “I guess I didn’t believe the stories until I’d see them with my own eyes. Is he friendly?”

  “Friendly?” Ronan raised an eyebrow and glanced toward Thoth. “I don’t know about that, but he’s on our side, and we can trust him.”

  Sir Alcott nodded, glanced past Ronan’s shoulder, and bowed. “You’re as enchanting as ever my dear. I’m glad to find you in good health.”

  Rika smiled, returning his bow with a slight nod. “It’s good to see you well Alcott.”

  Danielle appeared beside Rika with her arm locked around Jeremy’s.

  Sir Alcott’s gaze drifted toward Danielle, and his eyes widened. He pulled the pipe stem from his mouth and bowed to his waist. “Your Highness, I didn’t know we’d have the pleasure of your company.”

  “I wish it was a pleasure trip Sir Alcott,” Danielle said.

  The leather pack slung over Ronan’s shoulder wriggled, and its flap pushed open. The ice bear cub’s white shaggy head appeared licking at snowflakes drifting in the air around him.

  “Well, you’re full of surprises aren’t you?” Sir Alcott said. He raised an eyebrow. “An ice bear cub? I thought they were extinct?”

  “You of all people should know better than to make that sort of assumption.” Ronan lowered the pack from his shoulder, and the bear cub bounded outward. He dashed toward Sir Alcott as if he’d discovered a kindred soul.

  Sir Alcott knelt and ran his meaty fingers through the bear cub’s fur and scratched behind his ears. He glanced up at Ronan. “What’s his name?”

  Rika shot Ronan a sideways glance but kept silent. She folded her arms and looked down suppressing a smile.

  Ronan glanced between Rika and Danielle. “I —”

  “He hasn’t given the bear a name,” Danielle said.

  Sir Alcott narrowed his eyes glaring at Ronan. “No name? What’re you waiting for?”

  “Now isn’t the time,” Ronan said.

  Sir Alcott shook his head and picked up the cub swallowing him inside his beefy arms.

  The bear cub nestled low as if he’d finally found a cave to call home. He curled into a ball and rested his chin on Sir Alcott’s arm before falling asleep.

  “I wish I could sleep like that,” Ronan said.

  “Then come out of the cold, and we’ll talk. You look like you could use a hot meal and a soft bed.”

  “I’m afraid we don’t have time for that,” Ronan said. “An entire herd of dragons is headed this way, a man named —”

  “Trace?” Sir Alcott said.

  The old scholar never failed to amaze Ronan. “How do you know about Trace?” Realization dawned on Ronan. “The Book of Order?”

  Sir Alcott nodded. “We’ve made a great deal of progress on the translation.”

  “That’s good news, but we have to prepare the city defenses,” Ronan said. “Where’s Devery?” Ronan furrowed his brow staring around the courtyard. “And the city looks deserted of guards. Where’s our army Sir Alcott?”

  “Devery ordered the army, the reserves, and most of our kni
ghts northeast to Ripool almost a month ago. I’ve ordered troops from our southern and western provinces to reinforce Freehold, but they’re a week out.”

  Ronan nodded. “Devery’s found Tara?”

  “He has, but I’m beginning to worry,” Sir Alcott said. “I haven’t received a fresh report from Devery in two weeks.”

  The news added a fresh serving of worry to the toxic churn already festering inside Ronan’s stomach. “If we don’t prepare Freehold, we’ll have even more to worry about.”

  “We have to get the Ayralen refugees behind the city walls,” Danielle said. “Sir Alcott, are any guardians in the city?”

  Sir Alcott rubbed his chin and nodded. “Quite a few by my estimation. They’re helping with the refugees.”

  Danielle gripped Ronan’s wrist. “They’ll be able to help us. I’ll see to getting the Ayralens inside Freehold.”

  “Thank you Danielle,” Ronan said. “Jeremy, can you go with her? I need you to round up any able bodied archer you can find among the Ayralens and perch them on those city walls.”

  “Yes Your Majesty, I’ll take care of it,” Jeremy said.

  “Climb on Jeremy.” Danielle shifted into a red falcon and Jeremy leaped onto her bare back wrapping his arm around her chest. She shot straight up climbing skyward before pitching left toward Freehold’s entrance.

  “We need men on those ballista.” Ronan pointed toward the palace’s half abandoned guard towers.

  The heavy gray storm clouds had closed over Freehold and hung over the palace district like an unwanted guest.

  Ronan pitched a nervous eye skyward. Those clouds offered Trace the perfect cover.

  “There’s snow in those clouds Ronan.” Sir Alcott puffed his pipe releasing a fresh cloud of tobacco into the wintry air. “I don’t like it. Not one bit.”

  From somewhere inside the low hanging clouds, a dragon’s throaty roar broke the silence. As the roar faded, the bone-chilling sound continued, echoing from the palace walls.

  Ronan’s stomach sank, and he stiffened staring into the thick cloud cover. He shot a hard look toward Sir Alcott whose face had turned ashen. “Now Sir Alcott! Go!”

  Sir Alcott nodded and hurried through the open door.

  Ronan glared over his shoulder as if to prompt Thoth, but the dragon had already stood and unfurled his wings.

  Rika slipped her hand into Ronan’s and squeezed. “I’m going with you.”

  Ronan faced Rika and raised her hand to his lips. He couldn’t throw Rika’s life away on this fight. She couldn’t match the dragons’ size or speed, but if he told her no, she’d go just to spite him.

  Lines of worry etched Rika’s brow, and she shook her head. “You’re not going to —”

  “Rika,” Ronan said interrupting her. “Can you help Sir Alcott spread the word? He’ll cover twice as much ground with you to carry him across the city.”

  “I can’t leave you.” Her voice trembled and filled with tears.

  “If Thoth and I can find Trace, we can end this madness before it goes any further. He’ll never expect it.”

  Rika opened her mouth to speak, but stopped. She reached up and cupped Ronan’s cheeks in her trembling hands before nodding. “Okay.” She said barely above a whisper.

  A nervous flutter rolled through Ronan’s chest. She meant to tell him something, but what? He couldn’t press her. Not now. “Rika, I —”

  Rika pressed her index finger to Ronan’s lips as tears rolled down her cheeks. “I know. Me too.” With her chin quivering, she stood on her tiptoes and kissed Ronan’s cheek. Without looking back, she turned and disappeared inside the palace.

  “Take a longbow with you Ronan.” Sir Alcott yelled through the doorway and pointed toward a double door on the courtyard’s far side. “There’s a few mounted on the guardhouse wall through that door.”

  “Come Silver Soul,” Thoth said with an almost joyous glee in his thoughts. “The herd draws near.”

  Queen For A Day

  Thoth beat his massive wings faster climbing high over Freehold’s Palace District. Rock-sized ice pellets and heavy snow whipped Ronan’s eyes.

  Ronan tucked the longbow he’d taken from the guardhouse over his lap and moved his face behind Thoth’s neck. He used the dragon’s body to shield the gusting wind. He willed forth a trickle of power from his empty reserves. A spirit shield, weak by even a junior knight’s standard, sprang to life surrounding him and Thoth. “Remember, we’re going after Trace only. We can’t fight the whole herd.”

  Thoth pitched right and climbed upward. He flew toward the ceiling of low-hanging storm clouds hanging above Freehold. “We don’t have to fight the whole herd. Trace enjoys leading attacks whenever and wherever he has the opportunity. This attack, above all others, he’d lead himself,” Thoth said as he pierced the lowest hanging cloud bank. “If we can remove the emperor and his dragon, Shedu, from the combat arena, the remaining herd will give up their fight.”

  Thoth rose higher, and the snowfall intensified nearing whiteout conditions.

  “I can’t see anything through this snow,” Ronan said. “How can we find Trace in this storm?”

  A booming roar sounded from the cloud bank a half-mile ahead.

  “Shedu.” Thoth rolled to his right and turned beating his wings in short hard bursts picking up speed. “I still hold the magic you gifted me during our journey young Silver Soul. I can see past the falling snow and into the clouds. I’ll find Shedu.”

  “That’s great, but without proper shielding we’ll not last ten seconds against Trace and Shedu.”

  Thoth pinned back his ears and flew like an airborne hammer toward Shedu and Trace. “Draw on my strength for your shield, but you’ll not deny me this chance for glory.”

  Ronan closed his eyes and crossed the mental bridge. He found Thoth’s conscious mind focused like an arrow on the looming cloud bank ahead. His breath caught when he felt Thoth’s raw rage flare without a shred of fear. Fear helped keep a warrior sharp and focused. That Thoth felt none, worried Ronan.

  Ronan channeled Thoth’s strange alien energy. Though crude, he increased the power of the shields surrounding him and Thoth. He resisted draining the dragon’s precious strength. “Be careful Thoth.” Ronan recalled Patron Tyrell’s words. “Don’t let the anger consume you. Sharpen it, and use it like a weapon.”

  In the cloud bank above, a dragon’s silhouette appeared far bigger than Thoth.

  Like a silent assassin, Thoth lowered his head and flashed his teeth while gaining more speed.

  Above Thoth, the navy-blue dragon crystallized cutting a path through the cloud bank. He seemed oblivious to the danger lurking beneath him.

  Ronan leaned forward and clutched the saddle’s jeweled pommel bracing for impact.

  Thoth slammed into Shedu’s exposed belly like a battering ram splitting apart a rickety gate.

  Shedu’s golden eyes widened, and he let go a panicked screech. He ricocheted off Thoth’s flared snout before disappearing inside the black clouds above.

  Thoth craned his neck skyward and roared with savage delight.

  Distant roars bellowed returning his crooning call with sounds of greeting rather than threat.

  Despite the danger, a crooked smile twisted on Ronan’s face. His legs vibrated from a low-pitched hum coming from Thoth’s chest.

  Thoth turned in a slow arc, his gaze locked on Shedu’s path. The bitter stench of burning pitch hung heavy, and trails of black smoke curled from Thoth’s flared nostrils.

  “Don’t let the emperor turn your fire against us,” Ronan said.

  Thoth remained silent ignoring Ronan’s plea gliding like a jungle cat stalking easy prey.

  A foreign presence pressed on the mental bridge connecting Ronan and Thoth.

  Before Ronan could stop him, Thoth opened his mind to the foreign presence and spoke with a raw mixture of rage and satisfaction. “You’re a traitor to your kind Shedu, and now you’ll pay for your crimes.”

  Tho
th’s eyes narrowed into slits as a fourth presence entered the conversation. “You’re a fool to play with your life in such a cavalier manner,” Trace said. “I’ve allowed you to live only because of Shedu’s pleas for mercy.”

  “He’s bating you Thoth. Don’t listen to him,” Ronan said.

  Lurking in the cloud bank above, Shedu appeared.

  Thoth twisted into a tight spiral curling beneath Shedu’s belly extending his razor sharp talons.

  The bracelet on Trace’s wrist glowed deep purple as he extended his arm toward Thoth.

  A satisfied grin slid over Thoth’s face revealing rows of jagged white teeth. “I’m free of your trap, fool.”

  Color drained from Trace’s face. He stared slack-jawed at the plugged hole in Thoth’s neck brimming with bright blue spirit energy.

  As he sped past, Thoth raised his rear claws and swiped at Shedu’s light blue belly flesh.

  Shedu’s golden eyes locked on Ronan, and he froze in wide-eyed terror.

  Thoth stretched out his claws, but Shedu’s head moved with the motion snapping him from his trance.

  Shedu rolled right just missing Thoth’s attack.

  Thoth bellowed in frustration as he zoomed past the emperor’s dragon.

  Ronan pulled free a steel-tipped arrow from the quiver strapped to his shoulder and armed his longbow. He hadn’t held a bow in months, but its weight felt good in his hands.

  During a hunting trip with his father last autumn, Ronan practiced without using magic. He’d missed more shots than he’d made despite his years of practice. He couldn’t afford to miss now, and just like the hunting trip, he couldn’t use magic. If he tried channeling, he might pass out in his saddle and fall to his death.

  Blue energy flared across Trace’s fingertips. The air surrounding him sizzled with flickering tendrils of lightning. Electricity crackled and swirled flowing in circular currents surrounding Trace’s head and body. It grew thicker and more ominous by the second.